Conveyer



Nov. 15, 1927.

O. N. TEVANDER CONVEYER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 flea??? 02": 019 iiwwkr 45iOriginal Filed Sept. 5, 1925 Nov. 15, 1927. 1,649,267

v r o. N. TEVANDER CONVEYER Original Filed Sept. 5,1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Nov. 15, 1927. 1,649,267

0. N. TEVANDER CONVEYER Original Filed Sept. 5, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented Nov. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLOF N. TEVANDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T STANDARD CAP & SEALCORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

CONVEYER.

Original application filed September 3, 1925, Serial No. 54,283. Dividedand this application filed January 27, 1926.

My invention relates to conveying mechanism, being of particular servicewhen embodied in apparatus for conveying milk bottles to closureapplying devices,---though the use of the invention is not to be thusrestricted.

The invention has for one of its objects the provision of conveyingmechanism enabling the delivery of objects in evenly m spaced apartrelation. In carrying out this object of the invention, I provide aconduit having a feeding or forwarding screw arranged along and formingone side of a portion of the conduit. The conduit wall portion oppositethe screw is desirably yieldingly pressed toward the screw to vary thewidth of the conduit passage at the screw, in case the objects beingtransferred should become crowded between the crownof the screw threadand said opposite conduit wall portion. This arrangement permits andcauses the crowded objects to resume or assume their proper place withinthe spiral space of the screw. Both or either the screw and the conduitwall portion opposite it are laterally adjustable tovary the width ofthe conduit space to suit it to the size of the objects being conveyed.

The invention has for another object the provision of means for feedingor forwarding the objects to be conveyed to the screw or otherforwarding device employed, yet which will not forward these objectsfaster than the screw Will properly receive them. In carrying out thisobject of my invention, a moving conveyer element is employed thatdirects the objects to the screw and upon which the objects may slip.The mechanism for driving this conveyer element and the screw is soarranged that the rate of travel of the bottles or other objects whileengaged by said moving conveying element is slightly greater than therate of travel of the objects when moved by the screw so that the screwmay be filled by the bottles to capacity,- yet may'not be crowded due tothe slippage of the bottles upon said moving conveyer element. ment ofthe invention, this moving conveyer element is in the form of a rotatingtable which constitutes the bottom wall of a conduit portion that alsohas curved side walls that ma In the preferred embodi:

Serial No. 84,060.

concentric with the table, this conduit portion being in register withthe receiving end of the other conduit portion of which the screw formsa part.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which Fig. 1 is a view in elevation, with parts in section,showing a bottle capping machine having the preferred form of bottleconveyer of m invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig.1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of F ig. 2; Fig. 4 is a viewof part of the mechanism as shown in Fig. 2, with parts in changedpositions; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 4.

The bottles 8 are fed in any suitable way to a conduit 9. The dischargeportion of the conduit 9 has one side composed of a bottle feeding screw10 cooperating with the opposite conduit wall in defining the conduitspaces through which the bottles travel as they pass from the conduit.The conduit wall is inclusive of an automatically ad ustable section 11which will yield to any bottle encounter the crown of the thread of theceding screw 10' as the bottle is entering engagement with the screw.This adjustable conduit side 11 is desirably hinged at 12 at one end,and is held in its normal position by means of a buffing spring 13. Thisspring surrounds a rod 14 that is pivotallyconnected with a tongue 15projecting from the Wall section 11. The spring bears, at one end, aainst a nut 16 screwed upon the rod 14 and; at its other end, bearsagainst a stationary abutment 17 through which the rod slides. The frontend of the wall section 11 is prevented from being projected into theconduit, by the action of the spring, by means of the stirrup 18,carried by the wall section 11, which embraces the ton ue 19 upon thewall-section 20 that is in front of the wall section 11. The front endof the wall section 11 is bifurcated to receive said tongue. The base ofthe stirrup normally engages the tongue and faces outwardly so as not tolimit the outward swin ing of the wall section 11. The botties arecarried to the feeding screw 10 b means of a rotating discdike table 21,the

portion of the bottle conveying conduit adjacent to the receivin end ofthe feeding screw overlying the ta le and conforming in curvaturethereto.

' The forwarding member or table 21 is turned upon the axis of the shaft22. The shaft carries a worm gear 23 which is in mesh with the worm gear24 that is fixed upon the shaft 25 of the feeding or forwarding memberor screw 10. A housing is provided for the gear elements 23 and 24, thishousing being fixed with respect to a section 26 of a conduit wall. Thetable 21 constitutes the bottom wall of a conduit portion of which theparts 11 and 26 are side walls. A complemental portion 27 of' thehousing is suitably assembled with the portion 26 and carries bearings28 for the shaft 25 of the feeding screw 10. The feeding screw iscapable of bodily swing movement about the axis of the shaft 22. Thisscrew 10 is provided with means at its discharge end, whereby it may beswung in order to adjust the conduit space defined by the screw and theopposite conduit wall portions 11 and 20.

As illustrated, the shaft 25 of the screw 9 10 is journaled in a bearingblock 29 which has trunnion connection at 30 and 31 with v the sides ofa yoke 32, the trunnions being arranged to enable the block 29 to turnupon an upright axis. The base of the yoke 32 is laterally extended asindicated at 33, the base extension of the yoke having a slot 34therein. A threaded bolt 35 is passed upwardly through the stationarydeck 36 into threaded connection with a sleeve 37. This sleeve has a rod38 passed through its upper end whereby it may be turned with respect tothe bolt. When the sleeve is tightened, it

clamps the extended base of the yoke 32 against the deck. When it isloosened, it permits the yoke to be moved transversely of the feedingscrew in the guide ways 39 to the extent permitted by the slot 34. Thebearing block 29 will turn upon its upright axis to permit variousadjustments thereof without binding the shaft of the screw 10. Theconduit walls'll and 20 are preferably, together also adjustable towardand from the feedlng screw. To this end, the conduit wall section 20 hasa wing extension 40 formed to provide an arcuate conduit 41 thatreceives an arcuate rib 42 provided upon the deck 36. The'top wall ofthe aim duit portion 40 is formed with a slot 43 through which a bolt 44passes, this bolt passing through the deck 36 and having its headengaged with the deck as does the head of'the bolt 35. The bolt 44 isreceived in the sleeve 45 into which this boltis screwed. The bottom endof this sleeve bears upon 7 the toplwall ofthe conduit portion 41. The

: sleeve order that it may be readily turned. When as a rod 46 passingtherethrough in the sleeve 45 is loosened, the conduit wall sections 11and 20 may together he turned about the hinge axis at 12. When thesewall sections have been adjusted to selected position, the sleeve istightened to hold them 1n such position. The teeth of the star wheel 47,employed for the larger bottles or the teeth of the star wheel 47employed for the smaller bottles, serve to continue the travel of thebottles as they leave the feedlng screw and to direct the sameindividually onto the vertically adjustable sections 48 of a disc-liketable 49. The yoke 32 carries an arcuate arm 50, substantiallyconcentric with the star wheel 47 or 47 and cooperating with theperiphery of such wheel to define the final portion of the conduitthrough which the bottles are passed onto the table sections 48. Becauseof the adjustability of the feeding screw 10 and conduit wall sections11 and 20, the bottles are brought into proper relation with the pitchcircle of the employed star wheel 47 or 47 The rate of travel of thebottle holding portions of table 21 is slightly greater than the rate oftravel of the bottles being conveyed by the screw so that the screw maybe filled by the bottles to capacity, yet may not be crowded due to theslippage of the bottles upon the table 21.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed for operating the variousoperating elements that are located above the deck 36. In the embodimentof the invention illustrated, a hand crank 52 is employed for operatinga main drive shaft 53. Power is transmitted to this drive shaft atadjustable speed through the intermediation of any suitable speedchanging gearing 54. The shaft 53 has a worm 55 thereon which is in meshwith a worm wheel 56. This worm wheel is fixed upon a shaft 57 on whichthere are also fixed the spur gear 58 and the table 49. This spur gearis in mesh with another spur gear 59 that is fixed upon a shaft 60 uponwhich shaft is also fixed the star wheel 47. A bevel gear 61 is alsofixed upon the shaft 60 and is in mesh with a bevel pinion 62 fixed upona shaft 63. Another bevel pinion 64 is fixed upon the shaft 63 and is inmesh with a crown gear 65 that is in fixed relation with the table 21.The axis of rotation of the crown gear 65 is defined by the bearings 66and 67 for the shaft 22, there being roller bearings 68 interposedbetween the hub 69 of the crown gear 65 and the bearing 67. A bevel gear70 is fixed upon the shaft 63 and is in v ble sections are in theirupper limits of their gradually restored to this plane, the finalcapping operation occurring when said tamovements.

I provide a stationary cam track 72 u on which cam rollers 73 travel, torise and all. Each table section 48 is assembled with a cam roller so asto rise and fall therewith. As the shaft 57 turns, the cam rollers movebodily therewith over the cam track 72't0 elevate and lower the tablesections 48 to enable these table sections to rise and fall for thecapping operation.

Features not herein claimed form the subject matter of m originalapplication, Serial No. 54,283, led September 3, 1925, of which thepresent application is a division.

Changes-may be made without departing from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A conduit inclusive of a feeding screw arranged along and forming oneside thereof, the screw being adjustable with respect to the oppositeconduit wall to vary the passage in the conduit.

2. A conduitinclusive of a feeding screw arranged along and forming oneside thereof, the screw and the conduit wall opposite the screw beingeach adjustable to vary the passage in the conduit. 1

3. A conduit inclusive of a movably mounted feeding screw arranged alongand forming one side thereof; and means for adjustinglthe position ofthe screw toward and from t e opposite wall of the conduit.

4. A conduit inclusive of a feeding screw mounted to swing and arrangedalong and forming one side thereof; and means for swinging the screw toa new position togglrd and from the opposite wall of the cont. Inwitness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

OLOF N. TEVANDER.

